


Promises to Keep

by stardropdream



Category: The Musketeers (2014)
Genre: Episode Related, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-21
Updated: 2016-08-21
Packaged: 2018-08-10 04:14:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 835
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7830028
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stardropdream/pseuds/stardropdream
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“I need you to promise me,” Porthos says, not looking at Aramis now.   (Coda fic for 3x10)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Promises to Keep

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the prompt on tumblr, "Porthos meeting with Aramis before he's to leave, and discussing how hard it is to be apart from your child/general dad anxieties"

“That was a beautiful wedding,” Aramis says as greeting. Porthos looks up from where he’s standing, leaning against the wall and watching Constance and Sylvie show Elodie around the market. Elodie holds Marie with her, and Elodie seems more at ease the more she speaks with Constance and Sylvie. 

Porthos turns his eyes back towards Aramis, who moves to lean back against the wall with him, smiling up at him. Porthos smiles back, although there’s a slight squirm in his gut watching Elodie and Marie move around the market, nearby but also far away. 

“Yeah,” Porthos answers, automatically. Then adds, “Thought you wouldn’t be able to finish officiating – you looked like you were going to cry.” 

It’s a strange feeling. Of care, of course. The promise of love. He falls in love easily – he knows that – and he wouldn’t have asked Elodie to marry him if there hadn’t been some sort of spark, but it’s still strange to think of himself married to someone he isn’t deeply in love with. Yet. He knows it’ll come, he knows it’ll grow – and in the meantime, they’ll be taken care of. That’s more than a lot of children and widows can say, even strong ones like Elodie. And Marie.

He’s fiddling with his wedding ring and pauses when he can feel the weight of Aramis’ eyes on him. Aramis offers him another small smile that Porthos tries to return, but he feels too anxious – too uncertain. 

Aramis must notice it. Of course he does. He reaches out and places his hand on Porthos’ arm. “Porthos…” 

“Just thinking,” Porthos answers, quiet. “About everything. Going back there. Leaving all of you. Them.” 

“Of course,” Aramis answers. His smile turns warm, hopeful. “I knew you loved that little girl the moment I saw you at that camp.” 

Porthos nods, can’t help but let the touch of a smile twitch up the corner of his mouth – that memory of holding his daughter in his arms before handing her back to Elodie, of knowing in that moment that he loved her – instantly. 

“And Elodie,” Aramis adds. 

Porthos nods, watches Elodie pick up a plum to inspect it – smiling lightly to herself. 

“Yeah,” Porthos answers. He knows – without a shadow of a doubt – that he will love her, completely. He only hopes she can come to love him, too. 

He breathes in steadily and closes his eyes. Aramis waits. 

“I need you to promise me,” Porthos says, not looking at Aramis now. “Promise me that you’ll take care of them, if anything happens to me.” 

Aramis looks alarmed for half a moment before his shoulders sag. “Nothing will happen to you.”

“Aramis,” Porthos replies, harsher now. “Promise me. I need – I need to know they’ll be safe.”

Distressed, Aramis looks down. He’s silent for a moment, enough that Porthos feels he might have to insist, to beg, when Aramis finally nods. 

When Aramis looks up at him, his expression is solemn. “I’ll take care of them. I promise.” 

Porthos breathes out, finally lets his shoulders relax – feels as if he’s aged a few years over the course of a small but weighted conversation. “Thank you.”

They stay like that in a long silence – Porthos agitated, Aramis clearly distressed. 

Aramis’ hands clench at his sides, after a moment. He’s watching the women across the square and then turns away, down at their boots. “Don’t make me have to go through with that promise.” He breathes out. “Come back no matter what. Be with them.” 

Porthos nods. 

Aramis whispers, “Come back to me.” 

Porthos nods again. “If I can, I will.”

“No,” Aramis answers, looks up at him. “Come back. If you make me promise that, you can promise this.” 

Porthos meets his eyes, feels the squirm in his gut – the realization that this is a promise he can’t truly make. But he wants to keep it. No matter what, he wants to keep it. 

“I promise,” Porthos answers and Aramis nods. 

They stand in silence, leaning back against the wall. Aramis begins to fidget when the silence stretches, as he always does when there is quiet between them. 

“I finally understand,” Porthos says, after a long moment. “How hard it is to leave now.”

Marie has woken up across the square. Porthos can hear her fussing. He almost moves to go to her, but Elodie is quick to shush her, rocking her slowly. Her lips are pursed – a low lullaby being sung to their daughter. 

Their daughter. 

“Yes,” Aramis answers, faint and quiet – but understanding. 

Before Porthos can fret, Aramis bumps his shoulder to his – a reassurance. They’re both okay. 

“But you’ll make this a better world for her,” Aramis says. “You’ll keep her safe.” 

“Yeah,” Porthos answers. “And so will you. For him.”

Aramis breathes in steadily – and then breathes out again. He looks up at Porthos and Porthos meets his gaze. They hold it – slow and steady. They don’t speak, but this time, the silence is welcomed – this time, the silence is understood.


End file.
